{"id":74345,"date":"2020-06-03T18:27:38","date_gmt":"2020-06-03T18:27:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/06\/03\/active-duty-troops-deployed-to-dc-region-start-to-leave\/"},"modified":"2026-08-18T19:51:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T19:51:21","slug":"active-duty-troops-deployed-to-dc-region-start-to-leave","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/06\/03\/active-duty-troops-deployed-to-dc-region-start-to-leave\/","title":{"rendered":"Army: Esper reverses plan to send back active-duty troops brought in to support DC region amid protests"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 In an abrupt reversal, Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Wednesday overturned an earlier Pentagon decision to send a couple hundred active-duty soldiers home from the Washington, D.C., region, amid growing tensions with the White House over the military response to the protests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy told The Associated Press that the reversal came after Esper attended a meeting at the White House, and after other internal Pentagon discussions. It is unclear if Esper met with President Donald Trump. McCarthy said he believes the change was based on ensuring there is enough military support in the region to respond to any protest problems if needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">McCarthy said he received notice of the Pentagon order to send about 200 soldiers with the 82nd Airborne\u2019s immediate response force home just after 10 a.m. Wednesday. Hours later, the Pentagon notified him that Esper had reversed the decision. Esper is the final authority on deployment decisions, but other military officials, including the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also participate in the decision-making.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2020\/06\/03\/dozens-of-troops-sounded-off-on-the-use-of-the-military-to-help-quell-civil-unrest-this-is-what-they-said\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"197\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20152805471145.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Dozens of troops sounded off on the use of the military to help quell civil unrest. This is what they said.<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The overwhelming majority of service who wrote to Military Times disagreed with moves to deploy troops against protestors.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The move to keep the troops in the region, however, comes as Pentagon leaders continue to insist they do not want to use active-duty forces to help quell the protests. Earlier in the day, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2020\/06\/03\/troops-should-not-be-used-as-law-enforcement-against-protestors-secdef-says\/\" target=\"_blank\">Esper had tamped down threats from Trump <\/a>about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2020\/06\/03\/white-house-may-be-softening-stance-on-sending-troops-to-states-to-quell-civil-unrest\/\" target=\"_blank\">sending troops to \u201cdominate\u201d the streets<\/a>, telling reporters at a Pentagon news conference that he opposes using military forces for law enforcement in containing the current street protests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Active-duty troops should be used in the U.S. \u201conly in the most urgent and dire of situations,\u201d He said, adding, \u201cWe are not in one of those situations now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt is our intent at this point not to bring in active forces, we don\u2019t think we need them at this point,\u201d McCarthy said in an interview with The Associated Press. \u201cBut it\u2019s prudent to have the reserve capability in the queue, on a short string.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The AP reported earlier Wednesday that the 82nd Airborne soldiers would be the first to leave and would be returning home to Fort Bragg, N.C. The remainder of the active-duty troops, who have all been kept at military bases outside the city in northern Virginia and Maryland, would get pulled home in the coming days if conditions allowed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But then the Pentagon changed its plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s a dynamic situation,\u201d said McCarthy, adding that the 82nd Airborne troops \u201cwill stay over an additional 24 hours and it is our intent \u2014 we\u2019re trying to withdraw them and get them back home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The active-duty troops have been available, but not used in response to the protests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20155095277518.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"A line of DC National Guard members stand in Lafayette Park as demonstrators gather to protest the death of George Floyd, Tuesday, June 2, 2020, near the White House in Washington\" class=\"wp-image-36451\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20155095277518.jpg.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20155095277518.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20155095277518.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20155095277518.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,682 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20155095277518.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A line of DC National Guard members stand in Lafayette Park as demonstrators gather to protest the death of George Floyd, Tuesday, June 2, 2020, near the White House in Washington. Floyd died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers. (Alex Brandon\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">About 1,300 active-duty troops were brought in to the capital region early this week as protests turned violent. The protests came in the aftermath of the death in Minnesota of a black man, George Floyd, who died after a white police officer pressed his knee to Floyd\u2019s neck for several minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The active-duty unit that will be last to remain on alert is the Army\u2019s 3rd Infantry Regiment, which is normally most visible as the soldiers who stand at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The troops, known as the Old Guard, are based close to D.C. at Fort Myer, Virginia, and have been on 30-minute alert status. They would continue to be prepared to respond to any emergency in the region within a half-hour for as long as needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pentagon leaders have consistently said there continues to be no intent to use the active-duty forces in any law enforcement capacity. They would be used to assist the National Guard or other forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So far, Indiana has sent about 300 National Guard troops to D.C., Tennessee has sent about 1,000 and South Carolina has sent more than 400.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"200\" height=\"113\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_rUmiz_SXiE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen title=\"National Guard, top Pentagon officials on DC streets for protests\"><\/iframe>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Active-duty troops brought in to help if needed with the civil unrest in the nation\u2019s capitol are beginning to return to their home base, after two days of more peaceful demonstrations in Washington, D.C., senior defense officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":105466,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":68,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[100,22,23,92,12,25,68,70],"tags":[],"coauthors":[1334],"class_list":["post-74345","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-disaster","category-home","category-left-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress","category-your-army"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"Y5XLNP7D4REONJCZRKBP4I2RI4","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/06\/03\/active-duty-troops-deployed-to-dc-region-start-to-leave\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Army: Esper reverses plan to send back active-duty troops brought in to support DC region amid protests - Army Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Active-duty troops brought in to help if needed with the civil unrest in the nation\u2019s capitol are beginning to return to their home base, after two days of more peaceful demonstrations in Washington, D.C., senior defense officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Army: Esper reverses plan to send back active-duty troops brought in to support DC region amid protests\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Active-duty troops brought in to help if needed with the civil unrest in the nation\u2019s capitol are beginning to return to their home base, after two days of more peaceful demonstrations in Washington, D.C., senior defense officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/06\/03\/active-duty-troops-deployed-to-dc-region-start-to-leave\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Army Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-06-03T18:27:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-18T19:51:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lolita C. Baldor, The Associated Press\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lolita C. 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